Players have turned to Xbox’s own feedback platform to demand an end to recurring layoffs and studio closures after the latest round of cuts across Microsoft’s gaming division. A post titled “Stop the cycle of layoffs” gathered more than 3,000 upvotes within days and lists concrete requests for Xbox leadership.
Players accuse Xbox of a repeating pattern of cuts
The Player Voice submission says recent layoffs are part of a pattern that has repeated for years within Xbox. The post claims that thousands of workers have been let go in recent years across studios and teams tied to Activision Blizzard, Bethesda/ZeniMax, King, Mojang, Obsidian, id Software and Xbox Game Studios.
The exact figures cited in the post are disputed by different counts, but community contributors say cuts have been frequent since 2024. Players also pointed to studio closures or restructurings involving Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Games, Tango Gameworks, Compulsion Games, Double Fine, Undead Labs and Ninja Theory, and noted multiple cancelled projects.
Five demands aimed at Xbox leadership
The Player Voice entry presents five main demands for Microsoft’s Xbox leadership. They call for a commitment to halt new layoffs for the next two years and to stop closing studios. The post also asks Xbox to strengthen dialogue with developers and unions, to bar executive bonuses during rounds of cuts, and to increase investment in development teams rather than prioritizing technologies such as artificial intelligence.
The author criticizes intense profitability targets, arguing that the Xbox division already operates profitably and should not be driven primarily by progressively aggressive financial goals.
Protest follows a fresh reorganization and job cuts
The mobilization on the official portal arrived days after Microsoft announced another round of layoffs. In recent weeks the company confirmed thousands of job reductions in multiple areas, with the game division again affected: experienced staff have left Xbox-linked studios, several projects were cancelled and some teams remain without a defined future.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has previously said the restructuring aims to make the division more sustainable after years of rapid expansion driven by Game Pass, but the approach has continued to draw criticism from players and developers.
Community reaction and potential consumer pushback
Comments on the Player Voice post show broad support for the demands. Many commenters blamed management decisions rather than studio staff for the layoffs, and some said they would consider cancelling their Game Pass subscriptions if the current restructuring model persists.
As of this writing, Microsoft has not issued an official response to the Player Voice post or addressed the specific suggestions submitted by users on the platform.
